A week after the Congress tried to corner NCP chief and Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar over his agricultural policy, the NCP fired its salvo at the Congress, this time aiming it at state chief minister Ashok Chavan. With this, the cracks in the Congress and NCP alliance have become more visible.
On Friday, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Manikrao Thakre had written to the PM, alleging that the policy adopted by the agriculture and food and civil supply ministry needed to be revised to avoid wastage of wheat. The NCP, in its attempt at getting back at the MPCC, decided to complain about Mr Chavan’s high-handedness. NCP ministers met Mr Pawar in the presence of Union aviation minister Praful Patel and regional chief Madhukar Pichad on Saturday. During the meeting, the ministers disclosed their displeasure over the working of the Congress CM.
According to the ministers, Mr Chavan does not consult ministers when taking important strategic decisions and did not even allow the ministers to take decisions related to their departments. Further, they alleged that the CM kept several files pending without any reason.
During the meeting it was decided that while NCP ministers would be more aggressive in pursuing their rights in the state, the matter would be taken up in the coordination committee meeting with the Congress.
Mr Patel said that though there were differences of opinion in a coalition government, no one should take the issues too far. However, the aviation minister also promised that the state ministers would ask the Congress in-charge for the state A.K. Antony to call for a coordination committee meeting in the near future.
Meanwhile, speaking on the allegations of his policy causing wastage of food grains, Mr Pawar said that he was not the only person who decided the policy.
Mr Pawar added that the policy was chartered by a group of ministers, which included finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, Union home minister P. Chidambaram and minister for state rural development C.P. Joshi.